OHSU study finds prevalence of guns in the US led to rise in gun deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – A new study lead by Oregon Health & Science University found the prevalence of guns in the United States is leading to the rise in gun deaths opposed to the mental health crisis.

The research, led by OHSU’s Dr. Archie Bleyer, analyzed mental health disorder and firearm data from 2000 to 2019 in the U.S. and 40 other countries with similar sociodemographics.

According to the study , even though the prevalence of mental health disorders in the U.S. is similar to the other countries, death by firearms is 20 times greater in the U.S.

“We have the same degree of mental health issues as other countries, but our firearm death rate is far greater and continuing to increase,” Bleyer said. “In most of the countries, firearms deaths are decreasing.”

Since the year 2000, the rate of total firearm deaths increased 23% in the U.S. while the other 40 countries combined saw a 27% decrease in gun-related deaths in that same time, the study found.

“Every other country, deaths by firearms went down, despite a similar amount of mental health disorders,” Bleyer said, emphasizing the study does not diminish the mental health crisis in the U.S.

“We do have significant mental health problems, there is no doubt about that,” said Bleyer, a pediatric oncologist who shifted his focus on the trend of more young people dying from bullets than cancer. “We don’t have enough mental health providers, facilities, treatments. It’s the way that we have facilitated killing ourselves that leads to death with firearms where we take this to the extreme.”

According to Bleyer, polling shows most of the public, and leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties believe mental health disorders lead to the high death rate in the U.S., but his study focuses on the influence on the prevalence of guns in the country.

Over the past decade, deaths by suicide rose 18% in the last decade, Bleyer said, noting gun deaths by homicide increased 39% since 2000. The other 40 countries, however, saw those same rates decrease despite similar or sometimes higher, mental health disorder rates.

“The difference is simply guns,” OHSU said in a blog announcing the study. “The U.S. has 4% of the world’s population, but almost 25%, or one in four, of the world’s firearms — and half of its non-military assault weapons — are in U.S. households.”

That percentage is also increasing, Bleyer noted.

“Firearm deaths is a public health crisis in the U.S.,” Bleyer said. “Mental health disorder prevalence does not explain the higher firearm death rate. The difference is we have a way in this country of taking those mental health problems to the extreme by using firearms, which lead to death.”

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